1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic cameras electronic imaging, fluid flow microscopes, and image processing, and in particular to how these may be combined in various ways to create a small low-power inexpensive flow microscope element for applications in environmental remote telemetry sensing, bioreactor monitoring, and other applications.
2. Background
Powerful new sensor capabilities and telemetry costs are radically evolving and have been integrated into environmental and contamination monitoring systems and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as described in related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/817,074 filed on Jun. 16, 2010. Still-image, video, and audio field sensors can provide very useful environmental information as argued therein. Among the more useful possible applications for still-image and video is an inexpensive submersible flow microscope that can be used to visually monitor micro-organism and other microscopic affairs in flowing or standing surface water (among other uses). Such a flow microscope would need to be physically small, sturdy, low-energy consuming, easy to use, inexpensive, and remotely controllable by electrical or data signals. Once crafted, the resulting technology can be used as a laboratory instrument, for example as can be used in conjunction with a bioreactor.
To facilitate the above goals, a number of technology developments and particulars of possible flow microscope optical arrangements can be leveraged. In particular, image sensing elements are decreasing in cost as they increase in resolution and decrease in sensor array area size. These trends, together with the small size of objects to be viewed (assuming the incoming fluid is adequately clear of pre-filtered) permit a (2-dimensional) “contact imaging” approach, not unlike the 1-dimensional scanning bar arrangements employed in contemporary fax machines. Additional technology additions provide a wider range of performance, features, and capabilities, including opportunities for optical microscopic tomography. Additional advancements in power management electronics and image processing facilitate support other aforementioned needs of a flow microscope for environmental monitoring applications.